Give This Another Shot
by Lauriverfanboy1
Summary: After Zoom stole Barry's speed, Team Flash reached out to Team Arrow for help, and Laurel and Thea decided to stick around and help in Central City while the team worked to restore Barry's powers, but he's not the only one who gets them. While in Central City, Laurel got some advice from her mom about something that's been bugging been her for a long time. Takes place after Taken.
1. Chapter 1

"So, why did you ask us to come out to Central City?" Oliver asked as he, John, Thea and Laurel all entered STAR labs.

"We need your help protecting the city. I mean, yes we realize that you guys have Darhk to deal with back home, but this city is literally defenseless against the meta attacks." Cisco said.

"What are you talking about? You guys have the Flash?" Thea asked as Barry entered the lab.

"Not anymore. I don't have my powers anymore." Barry said, getting Oliver's attention.

"Wait, what happened?" Oliver asked.

"Zoom happened. He kidnapped Joe's son Wally and threatened to kill him unless I gave him my speed, which I did, but at the same time, it left this city vulnerable." Barry explained.

"Okay, I see your problem and while we would love to help you guys, we also can't leave our city defenseless against Darhk." Oliver said.

"I wouldn't mind staying here for a little a while. Get away from all that magic in Star City. Plus I can stay with my mom." Laurel offered.

"Yeah, I wouldn't mind staying either, since after that whole bloodlust thing, I could use a break from all the magic to." Thea agreed.

"Fair enough. Besides, I guess since Darhk's in prison, things won't be beyond what John and I can handle." Oliver said, looking at Dig, who nodded.

"Great, because honestly, you 2 are the only members of Team Arrow I have not made suits for yet, so I would really the opportunity." Cisco said.

"Appreciated, but, my suit has sentimental value, so I think I'll keep it." Thea said.

"I, on the other hand, wouldn't mind some upgrades, since my suit is really just something I through together last year, doesn't exactly offer a ton of protection." Laurel said and Cisco grinned.

"I will get to work on that as soon as we figure out how to get Barry's speed back." Cisco said as Harry entered.

"I thought you were dead." Oliver said, turning towards Harry, thinking he was the Reverse Flash.

"That's not Thawne. It's Harrison Wells from Earth 2, remember?" Cisco asked and then Oliver remembered.

"Sorry about that." Oliver apologized.

"Hey, you took it better than Joe did, he tried to shoot me." Harry shrugged.

"I'd better call work and tell them I'm taking a temporary leave of absence while I'm here, since I can just stay with my mom and Thea, I'm sure she'll be fine with you staying there to." Laurel said.

"Thanks Laurel." Thea said.

"Guess we'd better head back to Star City, since we are on our own right now." Oliver said.

"How are things going with Felicity?" Barry asked, just to have Oliver leave.

"Did I say something?" Barry asked, looking at John.

"No, it's fine man. You know how Felicity broke up with Oliver after she found out about William?" John asked and Barry nodded.

"Well she also quit the team, again, might I add, leaving us with no tech support." Laurel said.

"Another reason why we agreed to stay is because of tech support." Thea said, looking at Cisco.

"No problem." Cisco nodded.

"Good. Now, let's get to work." Laurel said after hugging John goodbye watching him leave.

* * *

Dinah was more than happy to accommodate Laurel and Thea.

The next morning, Thea was still asleep, but Laurel, ever the early riser, woke up to find her mother looking over test papers in the kitchen.

"I'd forgotten what it was like to walk in on you doing that." Laurel said to her mother with a smile and Dinah chuckled.

"Yes, I suppose that's true. Just as true as the fact that Oliver Queen is once again a single man." Dinah said, raising an eyebrow at her daughter, who rolled her eyes.

"Seriously mom. I did not think you were one to play matchmaker." Laurel said with a smile as she got herself some coffee.

"I'm serious Laurel. While your father might not have approved, I honestly thought that you and Oliver made a cute couple." Dinah said.

"Then why'd you let Sara sabotage us?" Laurel asked with a pointed look.

"Okay, I think we can both agree that we've made choices we regret." Dinah said and Laurel conceded to that point.

"So why did you bring up Oliver?" Laurel asked.

"Because I was wondering if maybe you were considering giving it another shot with him. After all, you were certainly happier when you were with him and you're both different people now." Dinah said.

"Look, I won't deny that it's crossed my mind, but I can't be with Oliver. Not without dishonoring Tommy." Laurel said and Dinah just smiled at her daughter sadly.

"Laurel, it sounds to me that you do Tommy an even greater dishonor by denying yourself happiness. After all, didn't you tell me that he said that he wanted you to be happy and being with Oliver certainly seemed to do that." Dinah said.

"Even if I wanted to consider that, it's too soon for me to try and get him back. I mean, his fiance literally just broke up with him a few weeks ago. It's too soon for me to make a move." Laurel said and Dinah nodded at that.

"I'm guessing that's another reason why you came out here. To keep yourself from making a move while giving him time to heal?" Dinah asked with a knowing smile and Laurel didn't even try to deny it.

"I need to get going." Laurel said instead as she walked out of the room, leaving Dinah to just shake her head in her daughter's wake.

* * *

"Wait, you want to do what?" Laurel asked after Barry and Wells had told her and Thea the plan.

"I left this city undefended by giving my powers, I need them back and the only way to do that is recreate the accident that gave me powers in the first place." Barry said.

"So you want to create another particle accelerator explosion. Like the first one didn't create enough problems for this city?" Thea asked.

"Harry thinks he can contain it." Cisco said.

"I don't think, I know. By combining both my science and Thawne's science, I can contain the blast to STAR labs." Harry said.

"This isn't up for debate. Even with you guys here, with Zoom and his metas, the city is vulnerable without the Flash." Barry said and Laurel had to give him that.

"You sure you want to do this?" Thea asked.

"I have to. It's the only way I'll ever stop Zoom." Barry said and they nodded.

"Okay then. How long will it take to get everything set up?" Laurel asked.

"A few days max." Harry said.

"We can handle the city until then." Thea said and Laurel nodded.


	2. Chapter 2

"So, how exactly is this supposed to work?" Laurel asked as she and Thea joined the rest of the team in front of the thing that Wells had constructed.

"It's simple really. This machine will allow us to replicate the accident that turned Barry into a speedster in the first place, without creating another dark matter explosion." Harry said.

"Why are you 2 wearing your suits?" Cisco asked.

"Because we just came from stopping another attack. Ever since Zoom revealed to the city that the Flash is gone, more and more metas keep popping out of the woodwork." Thea said and Laurel nodded as Barry entered the room, wearing his Flash suit.

"Well not for much longer. Assuming this works, the Flash will be back in Central City soon." Barry said as he got into the machine and the clamps locked down on his wrists.

So Barry just gets in, we turn it on, and that's it?" Thea asked.

"Yeah. No. Not exactly. In addition to recreating what happened with the particle accelerator explosion, we also have to recreate what happened to Barry." Harry said.

"Getting struck by lightning." Joe said.

"That's right." harry said.

"Wait, so how are you gonna do that? It's not even raining outside." Laurel asked.

"Well, Ramon, you have the wand." Harry asked.

"The one I made for Mark Mardon?" Cisco asked.

"No, the one you built for the Harry Potter convention. Yes, of course, the one you built for Mardon." Harry said irritably.

"How do you know about the Harry Potter convention?" Cisco asked and Thea could resist a laugh.

"- Get the wand. Get on the roof." Harry said.

"- Why the roof?" Cisco asked.

"Because we're gonna need a lightning rod, and that, Ramon, is gonna be you." Harry explained and Cisco just nodded and did what he was told

* * *

"All right, I'm on the roof. Wow. I've never actually been up here before. I think I can see my apartment from here." Cisco said.

"Now head straight to the satellite, Ramon. When I give you the signal, you're gonna create a lightning storm above you." Harry said.

"So I'm just supposed to stand here in the middle - of a lightning storm?" Cisco said sarcastically.

"- Really, Ramon. Chances of being struck are slim, indeed." Harry protested.

"Yeah, not when you're the one causing it." Cisco countered.

"All we need is one lightning bolt to strike the satellite. The satellite circuitry is connected to the breach room. Barry's in the breach room. Just do it." Harry grumbled.

"Yeah. I'm doing it. Mozart better watch out. Cisco Ramon's about to conduct something nasty." Cisco said.

* * *

"You're gonna feel these clamps, but they're necessary." Harry said as the clamps locked down on Barry, who grunted.

"You good?" Joe asked.

"- Yeah. I'll be fine, Joe." Barry assured him.

"Barry, whatever happens, it will never change the way that I feel about you." Iris said, making Laurel and Thea think there was a story there.

"Son you don't have to do this if you don't want to." Henry said to his son.

"Being The Flash that's the best version of me. If I don't have my speed, I'll never be that person anymore. I have to do this." Barry pressed and both Laurel and Thea could relate to that, since that's exactly what Black Canary and Speedy were to them.

"Okay. You ready, Allen?" Harry asked and Barry nodded.

"All right, then. Here we go." Harry said as he activated the reaction.

"Ramon, get ready! I'm gonna release the chemicals into his system." Harry said.

After hearing metallic clicking and injectors moving to inject things into Barry, who grunted, Iris turned to Harry and asked "Why are you doing this?"

"The night Barry was struck by lightning, he was doing fingerprint analysis. Those chemicals got in his system then, and they are going in now." Harry explained.

"So you're injecting them into him?" Laurel asked.

"We have to recreate everything that happened to Barry that night." Harry countered.

"I'm okay, Iris!" Barry said at her concerned look as he started panting.

"- Hold on, Barry." Harry said.

"- God! - He's going hydrostatic." Henry said.

"- Almost there. Almost there." Harry said.

"- Wells!" Joe shouted.

"- Almost there. Ready, Ramon?" Harry asked.

"Ready!" Cisco shouted.

"- Now!" Harry shouted.

Cisco raised the wand to the storm that he'd created, and just like Harry Potter, he shouted "- Expecto Patronum!"

Lightning crackled as it struck the wand and Cisco looked on in amazement.

"Great Scott! It's working!" Cisco said.

"Initiating collision." Harry said as the accelerator went online and Barry was hit by the dark matter energy, but it actually began to destroy him.

"Barry!" Iris shouted as the blast cleared the safe zone and hit them, sending Thea flying backwards into a wall.

"Is everyone okay?" Joe asked.

"What happened?" Laurel asked as they noticed the empty space where Barry had been, only being filled with the emblem from his suit.

"No! No." Harry said.

"What did you do to my son?" Henry demanded as he turned to face Wells.

"Thea." Laurel shouted as she ran over to her.

"Henry, please, help me." Laurel begged and Henry nodded, deciding to temporarily suspend his anger at Wells to make sure Thea was okay.

"Her heart stopped beating and she has no pulse." Laurel said, tears coming to her eyes as she began chest compressions.

"There were strikes all over the building. Jesse, come down here, please." Harry said over the PA system, but to his alarm, there was no response.

"Jesse, Wally?" Harry asked as he looked at Joe and both fathers immediately ran upstairs.

* * *

"Oh, God, Wally! No, no! Wally! Wally, wake up! - No! - Can you hear me? - Wally!" Joe shouted as Wells did the same thing with Jesse.

"- Jesse, Jesse! - Jesse!" Wells shouted.

"Wally!" Joe shouted.

"Stop yelling, please." Wally grunted as he came to, but Wells began panicking.

"Her heart stopped. Her heart stopped! Jesse Are you okay? Jesse! - [gasps] - Oh [panting] It's beating. Her heart's beating." Wells said, sighing in relief after a moment as Iris approached them.

"How's Thea?" Joe asked.

"Her heart's beating again, so that's something." Iris said.


	3. Chapter 3

While Henry treated Thea and Jesse, Laurel dreaded the phone call she now had to make, but knew she had to make it anyways, since Oliver would never forgive her if she left him out of the loop.

"Hello." Oliver's voice said on the other end of the call.

"Hey Ollie, is now a bad time?" Laurel asked.

"Darhk escaped from prison, but aside from that, everything here is good." Oliver said sarcastically.

"Wait what? He escaped?" Laurel asked.

"And while you and Thea were in Central City, I called in Nyssa for some extra backup and he, well, Darhk killed her during the escape." Oliver said.

"Wait, what?" Laurel asked.

"I guess he still had an axe grind with her father over not being chosen to be Ra's, so he killed her in retaliation, and now I'm going to kill him." Oliver said.

"When's the funeral?" Laurel asked.

"We're waiting until you and Thea come back for it. I'd say Sara to, but we don't know when she'll be back from time traveling." Oliver said and Laurel could hear the pain in his voice.

"She's going to be out for blood when she finds out." Laurel said.

"The only way Sara is killing Darhk is if she gets to him before me. But what was the reason for your call?" Oliver asked.

"There was an accident at STAR labs while they were trying to get Barry's speed back. The explosion, it put Thea in a coma. Barry's dad is taking care of her, but Ollie, her heart stopped for a few seconds." Laurel said.

"I'm on my way." Oliver said.

"You can't leave the city defenseless against Darhk." Laurel said.

"Darhk's gone to ground since his escape, probably tying loose ends, so we have some time and I'll be damned if I'm not there when my sister wakes up." Oliver said.

"Well, I guess it couldn't hurt." Laurel agreed.

"I'll be there soon." Oliver said.

"Ok." Laurel said as she looked over at Henry and Cisco as they entered the medbay to confront Wells.

"Cisco says Barry's still alive. - Where is he?" Henry demanded.

"- I don't know." Harry said.

"Harry, I vibed him in the center of a storm. It was, like, in, like, a vortex or something." Cisco said.

"He's in the Speed Force." Harry realized.

"- Get him out, damn it. - You can get him out, can't you?" Henry demanded.

"- I don't know if I can." Harry said and Laurel's heart went out to the guy, since his daughter was currently in a coma.

"Henry, come here." Joe said, gesturing for him to come out with him.

"Listen, you are the only one that can help Jesse. Let me sit on Wells till he figures out what the hell he did to Barry. I think we can get him back." Joe said.

"Joe, I know you love Barry, okay? But you have Iris, and you have Wally. Barry's all I have left." Henry argued.

"Exactly why you need to help Jesse and Thea so Harry can focus on figuring out what happened to Barry." Laurel pointed out and Joe nodded.

"I promise. We'll find him." Joe said and Henry nodded.

* * *

"Thank God you're here. Caitlin's usually the one doing this, but." Cisco said as he, Iris and Laurel watched Henry treat Thea and Jesse.

"Heart rate normal. Reflexes and breathing are fine. They should both be waking up. But they're just not." Henry said.

"It was the same with Barry." Iris said, causing Laurel and Henry to look at her.

"Um, after the first accident, he was in a coma that no one could explain." Iris said.

"What did you do with him?" Henry asked.

"So they brought him here Well, Wells brought him here." Cisco said.

"The other Wells." Iris said.

"Right, the Wells who was actually Thawne." Cisco said.

"- Eobard, not Eddie." Iris said.

"- Right. It's it's complicated. Anyway, we took care of Barry while Wells Thawne treated him." Cisco said.

"Are there any records of that treatment? We might find clues how to help Jesse and Thea." Henry asked.

"Uh, yeah, they'd be downstairs in the storage room, in the morgue." Cisco said.

"Ew, you guys have a morgue?" Iris asked.

"Well, it's not like a morgue morgue. It's not it's like a poor man's morgue, really. Morgue-ish." Cisco said.

"Would one of you go get them, please?" Laurel asked, not wanting to leave Thea's side.

"Okay, well, I'm not going alone." Cisco said and Iris rolled her eyes before leaving with Cisco.

"God I hope they find something before Thea's brother gets here, because something tells me he's going to be pissed off and when he's pissed, he likes to put arrows in things. Particularly the person responsible." Laurel said.

"Really, and her brother is?" Henry asked.

"Oliver Queen. Sorry, I keep forgetting you were in prison most of the times Oliver was in the news. No offense." Laurel said and Henry chuckled.

"None taken. But I seem to remember a Moira Queen being locked up in the female section of Iron Heights. Any relation?" Henry asked.

"Oliver was Moira's son and he's also the Green Arrow." Laurel revealed.

"Really, well that's good to know and it also explains how Barry knows him." Henry said and Laurel nodded as Cisco and Iris ran back into the med bay.

"We got a new problem." Iris said.

"Our accelerator experiment seems to have reanimated one of the dead metas in our morgue." Cisco said, getting all their attention.

""Reanimated," like brought back to life?" Joe asked.

"Life-ish. You ever seen "The Walking Dead"? It's "The Walking Dead," but without higher brain function and with major rage issues. Still unsure if our brains are on the menu, though." Cisco said.

"- Which one?" Joe asked.

"- Tony Woodward." Iris said.

"The bully from school who turned into the metal man? That's not good, Cisco." Joe said.

"History repeats itself. First as tragedy and then as farce." Harry said, still not leaving his daughter's side.

"Wells, as a parent, believe me, I have nothing but sympathy for what you're going through. Listen to me closely when I say to you, we got a lot of fires burning at the same time, and if we all work together, we just might be able to put them out. Let Henry take care of your daughter. Me, Iris and Laurel will handle this Girder situation, but you and Cisco are the scientists. You're the only one who can bring Barry back from wherever the hell he is right now." Joe said and Wells nodded.

"Cisco, any chance you could modify my sonic device?" Laurel asked.

"Why?" Cisco asked.

"You said that Rathaway took down Barry using his sonic frequency. Couldn't you modify my device to do the same for Girder?" Laurel asked Cisco caught on.

"Yeah, after Hartley decided to become an ally rather than an enemy, he and I used the molecular scans of each meta that we'd taken down, even the deceased ones and used them to determine their frequencies. I think I can tune your device to operate on Girder's frequency." Cisco said.

"Good, let's get to work. Ramon, modify Lance's device and then meet me in the breach room." Harry said as he got up and left, new fire in his eyes and Henry continued treating Thea and Jesse.


	4. Chapter 4

"Whoa, Cisco's metahuman alert app is going crazy." Iris noted as the report came up.

"Oh, Tony just trashed the hell out of Jitters." she said.

"Now, that is strange. He knocks over a hydrant on 4th and Stevenson, doesn't go in the building, then smashes a Humvee in front of the Big Belly Burger, but doesn't go in the building. Gets to CC Jitters He actually goes in." Joe said.

"Yeah, it's like Jitters was his target, but why?" Laurel agreed.

"When I was in Iron Heights awaiting trial, I had a cellmate who always swore he was gonna break out. At a pre-trial hearing, he stole a deputy's gun and escaped in a police cruiser. There's a point to this, Joe, I promise. Now, the poor, dumb bastard could have gone anywhere, right? But he was apprehended two hours later. Do you know why? 'Cause he went to his old girlfriend's house looking for her." Henry said.

"So you think that's what Tony's doing, even in the state he's in now?" Laurel asked.

"I think people are creatures of habit, sometimes at a level stronger than conscious thought." Henry said.

"Okay, considering all the crazy I've seen in the past 4 years, this doesn't even surprise me." Laurel said.

"No, I don't think that Tony had a girlfriend. I mean, not the way that he was hitting on me when he He came into Jitters. He's after me again." Iris realized.

"So, when he was after you the first time, where'd you see him next, after Jitters?" Laurel asked.

"Home. He came to our house when he took you. Wally's there now." Joe said.

"No, no, Dad, this is good. We know where he is, and we know what he wants. That means we know how to beat him. How do you propose we do that? We use me as bait to lure him back to S.T.A.R. Labs, where Cisco and Wells can kill him again." Iris said.

"Not without me you're not. You guys need someone with actual experience dealing with this sort of crazy and until Oliver gets here, that's me." Laurel said.

"Wait, Oliver's coming back to Central City?" Joe asked.

"To check on Thea yeah. She's his only living family left Joe. Can you blame him?" Laurel asked.

"Not at all. But in we can't afford to wait for the Green Arrow to show up. You think you can do this?" Joe asked her.

"Cisco, is my device ready?" Laurel asked.

"Yes and so is this." Cisco said as he pulled out a mannequin and revealed a new and improved Black Canary suit.

"I kept the jacket, since I know it was your sister's, but I aside from that, I went all out on the protection, it's made out of the same material as Oliver and John's suits, so it should withstand most types of bullets and blades, while still allowing you complete speed and agility." Cisco said.

"You rock Cisco." Laurel said and Cisco grinned.

"I know." Cisco said as she went to suit up.

"You realize that she will never love you right?" Iris asked.

"Can't blame a guy for trying." Cisco said, not at all ashamed.

* * *

Just before Girder could attack the West house, Black Canary swooped in and hit him with her sonic cry, but it didn't seem to do anything other than annoy him.

"Cisco, it's not working." Black Canary said.

"What? No, I tuned the device to the exact frequency Hartley and I got from Girder." Cisco said.

"Yeah, from when he was alive. Did it ever occur to you that his death might've changed it?" Black Canary asked.

"Frack me, you're right." Cisco said.

"I take back saying you rock." Black Canary said as Girder grabbed her by her throat and began choking her, only for him to release his grip seconds later.

"What the hell?" Black Canary asked before realizing she was no longer wearing her sonic device.

She looked up to watch Girder crush said device with his steeled up hand.

"So much for that. Alright buddy, guess we do this the hard way." Black Canary said as she got up and prepared to fight him, but one punch against his chest and she was pretty sure she'd broken her hand.

Girder just grunted at her before moving in to kill her, but at the last second, acting on pure instinct, she screamed it felt like a force ten times stronger than anything her device could've done, shattering windows and blasting Girder back, giving Iris time to get into position to lure him back to STAR labs.

"Well, that's new." Black Canary said, staring in shock at what she'd just done.

* * *

I'm thinking about making this a crossover with the Flash, what do you guys think?


	5. Chapter 5

After Barry was brought out of the Speed Force and they defeated Girder, that was around the time that Oliver showed up at STAR labs.

"Looks like I missed quite a party." Oliver said.

"You have no idea man. But, there was one positive." Barry said as he showed off his speed.

"You got your powers back." Oliver said.

"He's not the only one with powers." Laurel said.

"What do you mean?" Oliver asked.

"When I was fighting Girder in front of the West House, he yanked my sonic device off my neck and crushed it like it was a piece of bread. He was about to kill me, but suddenly, I screamed it was like my device had somehow been implanted into my throat, since my scream was even more powerful." Laurel said.

"Wait, you're a meta?" Oliver asked.

"She must've been affected by the dark matter explosion that sent Barry into the speed force like Thea and Jesse were." Cisco said.

"So, why did I get an actual canary cry instead of being put in a coma?" Laurel asked.

"You and Thea were both wearing your suits during the explosion and that included your sonic device. The dark matter was must've bonded the device into your DNA, allowing you to have a canary cry without the need of a device." Cisco postulated.

"Okay, so, that answers that, but now onto my sister." Oliver said, looking at Barry pointedly.

"I think I can help with that. Come on." Barry said as he led the 2 of them over to the medbay.

"Allen, you should be resting. You don't need to be here." Harry said.

"No, actually I think I do." Barry said as he first took Thea's hand in his own and they noticed a bit of electricity surge from his body into her body and immediately, Thea's eyes opened and Barry then proceeded to do the same thing with Jesse.

"How did you do that?" Oliver asked Barry, amazed yet again by Barry's powers.

"Are you, like, magic now?" Cisco asked.

"Did you know that was gonna happen?" Laurel asked.

"Maybe. It's hard to explain." Barry said.

"It's It's the Speed Force." Harry said and Barry nodded.

"I feel strange." Thea said.

"Strange how?" Barry asked, though he had his suspicions.

"I feel kind of awesome, like everything is buzzing, electric, like I could do anything." Thea said, confirming Barry's suspicions.

"Thea, would you mind using the treadmill real quickly. I think I know what's going on with you, but I want to be sure before I say anything." Barry said and Thea nodded, confused, as she got out of bed and walked out.

Barry was about to follow when Oliver stopped him.

"You think she has powers?" He asked.

"Not just any powers. Come on, if I'm right, you'll see." Barry said and Oliver nodded as they headed over to where Barry's treadmill was.

"Okay Thea, we're just going to keep gradually increasing the speed, you just try and keep up." Barry said and Thea nodded as she began running at normal speed with the treadmill, at least, until the speed cranked up.

Thea started panting as she struggled to keep up, but the speed just kept increasing to the point that she wasn't even sure how she was still on it, until she turned her head to see bright yellow lightning emanating from her body.

"That confirms it." Barry said as the treadmill came to a sudden stop and Thea sped into a padded wall.

"Ow." Thea groaned as Barry helped her up.

"You're a speedster now." Oliver said to his sister.

"I guess Speedy really was an appropriate nickname after all." Thea joked.

"Oliver, while I think Laurel can learn to use her powers in Star City, I think that it would be best if Thea stayed here for now so I can teach her how to use her speed." Barry said.

"Agreed." Oliver said.

"I was expecting a bit more of a fight." Barry admitted.

"Barry, I've seen what you can do. Having that sort of power on my team will make a huge difference in our fight, but only if Thea knows how to use it properly. It's best for everyone if she learns how to use her powers from the scarlet speedster himself." Oliver explained.

"I'm ready to go home now though. I have a score settle with Darhk now." Laurel said.

"Get in line. Darhk is mine to kill. Especially after what I just went through in Hub City." Oliver said.

"Why were you in Hub City?" Thea asked.

"I got in contact with Constantine and he got me touch with someone who could teach me how to resist Darhk's magic. Let's just hope it worked." Oliver said.

"I'm gonna head back to my mom's and pack up and then we can head back to Star City." Laurel said and Oliver nodded.

"I just hope John hasn't done anything too stupid while we were gone." Oliver said.

"Why?" Thea asked.

"The reason Nyssa died is because Andy double crossed us. He gave Darhk the missing piece of the idol, which he stole from the bunker, with assistance from Merlyn, who I still regret not killing when I had the chance, and John blames himself. Hell, he even tried to kill Darhk's wife last week." Oliver said.

"Wow, and to think out of all of us, he's one the who had the least interactions with Nyssa." Thea said.

"She was still a friend and teammate. It took me and Lyla a lot to talk him off that ledge." Oliver said.


	6. Chapter 6

**Arrow**

"So, you're a meta now?" Oliver asked Laurel on the drive home.

"Yeah, you could say that. But anyways, how are you doing with Darhk and what happened to Nyssa?" Laurel asked.

"I mean, she was never my favorite person in the world, especially after she held Thea's life hostage, but she was still my friend and in some regards, my wife. I mean I never loved her, but still, she was a sister in arms. And I can't help but think that maybe if I'd killed Darhk back when I had the chance, that maybe she'd still be alive today." Oliver said.

"You can't blame yourself for that. You said it yourself that Darhk was Ra's greatest enemy and since you killed him, Nyssa was the closest thing to Ra's Darhk was ever going to get." Laurel said.

"I don't blame myself for what happened to Nyssa anymore. I know it's not my fault. But it is my responsibility. Just as it is my responsibility to kill Darhk just like he killed her. Just like I killed Ra's." Oliver said darkly.

"Oliver, you can't think like that. You said that what you learned to defeat Darhk only works if you can channel the light." Laurel said and Oliver looked at her.

"I can't stop thinking about what ifs." Oliver said.

"What do you mean?" Laurel asked.

"What if Nyssa hadn't been the one Darhk killed? What if he'd killed John, or Thea, or your dad or Felicity, or you? Nyssa was a friend, but not a close one. But what if Darhk had killed someone who was close to me. He already crippled Felicity and abducted my son and took someone from me. I know I swore to Tommy that I'd never kill again, but I've already broken that vow once last year when I killed Ra's. But it was keeping that vow, taking the moral high ground that got Nyssa killed. So if that is where this path leads, then I'm done with it." Oliver said.

"What are you saying?" Laurel asked.

"I'm saying that I took up this crusade to help people. But over the past few years, I've been doing that with one hand tied behind my back, the only exception being with Ra's. But if we're going to stop Darhk and Hive, I'm done with that. I'm not gonna hold back, I'm not going to show him mercy. I'm going to do what I should've done from the beginning. Next time we go up against Hive, I'm not going to hold back anything. Even without his magic, Darhk is a former member of the League of Assassins. He will not hesitate to kill anyone who gets in his way. And neither can I. So, I'm going to kill him. And any more of his followers that try to stop me." Oliver said.

"Oliver, that is not the way." Laurel protested.

"I know, but we are at this point because I didn't kill Darhk when I had the chance. I'm not making that mistake again." Oliver said.

"I'm not saying you shouldn't kill Darhk. I still think you should've done that when I found out he was blackmailing my dad. But I'm saying that you shouldn't stoop to his levels to beat him. We have to win this fight by being better than our enemies. Otherwise, we're just as much monsters as they are." Laurel said and Oliver smiled.

"How is it that even when things look their darkest, you still manage to find a way to bring back some light?" Oliver asked.

"I guess that's my other super power." Laurel said with a smile as they looked at each other, but before the moment could really be set, it was ruined by a phone call, snapping them out of it.

"Hello?" Oliver asked as he listened to the other end of the call.

After a few minutes of listening, he sighed and said "Laurel and I are already on our way back, we'll rendezvous with you."

"What was that about?" Laurel asked.

"John was being an idiot and went after Andy, which led to him being tagged with a tracker and now Hive is attacking them." Oliver said.

"Good thing we brought our work clothes." Laurel said.

* * *

 **Flash**

Back in Central City, Barry and Thea were speeding through the accelerator, with Barry trying to teach Thea the ways of the Speed force.

"Well, you learned how to stop, that's a good sign." Barry said with a grin as he and Thea came out of the accelerator.

"Very funny Barry. But seriously, this is awesome. I finally get why you love running so much." Thea said with a grin.

"Well, something tells me that once Cisco finishes your new suit, you're going to be getting a lot of field training in during this metapocalypse thing." Barry said as they explosions outside.

"Speaking of which." Thea said.

"Yeah, I'd better go." Barry said as he sped out of the room and Thea looked after him, silently wishing Cisco would hurry up with her suit.

* * *

"Okay, how does Barry afford this much food?" Thea asked as she finished her 6th burger after her workout.

"No idea, but one of the perks of being a speedster is that you can eat all you want without getting fat." Cisco said.

"Yeah, I'm still getting used to this who speedster diet thing." Thea said as to their surprise, Caitlin entered the lab.

"Caitlin." Cisco said as he ran up to her and helped her sit down, only to see her in tears.

"Hey, are you okay?" Cisco asked.

"I think it will be a long time before I use the term okay again." Caitlin said as she noticed Thea.

"Thea, you're here?" Caitlin asked.

"To help and to learn." Thea said.

"Wait, what does that mean?" Caitlin asked.

"During our experiment to give Barry his speed back, Thea was struck by the dark matter and it gave her speed to." Cisco explained.

"Interesting." Caitlin said as Barry entered the room with Iris and they then ran up to Caitlin as Henry joined them and began treating her.

"Oh my gosh, Caitlin." Barry said as he ran up to her.

"She's in shock, a little dehydrated and malnourished, but she should be fine." Henry said.

"How'd you escape?" Thea asked.

"He let me go. I didn't think he was going to, I thought it was a trap." Caitlin said as she looked at Barry.

"He told me you were dead." she said.

"I'm not. I'm right here. We're all here, together." Barry assured her.

"Snow. Jay's not here. You're safe." Harry said.

"He's gonna overrun the city. You can't stop him." Caitlin said to Barry.

"Yes, we can. Listen to me, he's not going to succeed. We've got this. This is our Earth." Barry said confidently.

"You don't know that. You don't know what he is capable of." Caitlin said.

"I know from being in the Speed Force that the universe is with us, not Zoom. And if the universe is with us, how could we possibly lose? Right, guys?" Barry asked.

"Yeah, yeah, right." Cisco said.

"You've been through a lot. You should get some rest, come on." Barry said as he helped her out.

"You were in the Speed Force?" Caitlin asked.

"I when you were gone. It's hard to explain, but we tried to get my powers back and when the dark matter lightning, the same combination that gave Thea speed." Barry said as he did his best to explain it to her.

* * *

 **Arrow**

After stopping Darhk and proving that he could resist his magic, Team Arrow regrouped back in the bunker.

"So, Laurel is a meta now?" John asked.

"Yeah, so's Thea, but since she's a speedster like Barry is now, we decided it would be best if she stayed in Central City so Barry could teach her how to use her powers." Laurel said.

"Anyways, John, what the hell were you thinking going after Hive by yourself?" Oliver asked.

"They upped their game. Ask Lance." John said, making Laurel's blood run cold.

"What happened to my dad?" Laurel asked.

"He and I were meeting at his place to discuss possible hiding places Hive could be using for when you got back, when Hive burst in, knocked me out and kidnapped him. He successfully baited me into going after him and that led to tonight's who problem with Darhk." John said.

"Okay, well while that doesn't make it better, it does explain things. Now, what exactly did Darhk take?" Oliver asked, looking over at Lyla.

"Rubicon. I had it moved from the vaults at Argus to a subdermal implant in my wrist. How Darhk knew about that is beyond me." Lyla said.

"What is Rubicon?" Oliver asked.

"It's failsafe to stop any country, including ours, from launching a nuclear missile." Lyla said.

"Why would Darhk want to stop the launch of nukes?" Laurel asked.

"With the right work, Rubicon could be corrupted, so that instead of preventing nukes." Lyla said.

"Darhk would control the world's entire nuclear stockpile." Oliver said and Lyla said.

"But why. I mean, I know Darhk's crazy, but to launch all the nukes on earth, that would kill him to." Laurel said.

"Unless he wants to rebuild. Andy told me that Genesis was coming." John said.

"The old testament, the book of genesis." Lyla said and John nodded.

"God wanted to give the world a do over so he destroyed it." John said.

"With a flood." Oliver said.

"Okay, so Rubicon is Darhk's flood, but the question is, what is he planning on using as his Ark?" Laurel asked.

"That's what we need to find out. And I think we're going to have to force Felicity to come back to do it." Oliver said.


	7. Chapter 7

**Flash**

After Team Flash had their encounter with Black Siren, Barry, Cisco and Wells came up with the idea of using vibrational tech to take out all the Earth 2 metas at once.

"So, exactly are we going to do this?" Joe asked as they looked at the device that Cisco and Wells had created.

"So all matter vibrates at its own unique frequency, right? You disrupt that frequency, you disrupt the matter." Cisco explained.

"Like how an opera singer shatters glass with her voice." Iris said.

"Exactly. So we found out that all Earth-2 people vibrate at their own, - more erratic frequency." Cisco said.

"- Higher frequency." Harry insisted.

"- Different frequency." Cisco tried.

"- Higher." Harry insisted.

"- Higher frequency than we do." Cisco conceded.

"- Right." Thea said.

"So I ran this all past Hartley, right? And he postulated that we could create a sort of dimensional tuning fork VoilÃ Â." Cisco said, only to have Harry interrupt him.

"Okay, you didn't do it yourself." Harry said.

"Just let me have this one, okay?" Cisco asked.

"- Have it, have it." Harry said.

"- Thank you. So if you run around the city fast enough to create a refracting field, the device can send out a pulse that'll bounce off of it, split apart, and collide with itself over and over." Cisco said.

"Amplifying it to an erratic frequency on the Earth-2." Barry said.

"- Higher." Harry corrected.

"- Higher frequency on the Earth-2 spectrum." Barry said.

"And when that pulse hits anyone from Earth-2." Cisco said.

"It'll disrupt their nervous system." Caitlin said.

"Earth-2 metas go night-night." Cisco said.

"- Even Zoom?" Iris asked.

"- Even Zoom." Cisco confirmed.

"Harry and Jesse are from Earth-2. How do we keep the pulse from hurting them?" Joe asked.

"Oh, Detective, I didn't know you cared." Harry said sarcastically.

"Yes you did." Joe said.

"Uh, we designed these headphones to protect us from the pulse." Wells said, revealing a pair of headphones.

"Beats by Wells." Cisco laughed as alarms beeped.

"Cisco, it's your metahuman alert app." Caitlin said.

"That's the high-rise development on the west side." Joe said.

"Hundreds of people live there." Iris said.

"Ramon, we're up. Let's go. Set that pulse off right now. Allen, you need to start generating that refracting field right now." Harry said.

"But Black Siren can take down this building at any point. Wha all those people, Wells." Barry insisted.

"How many more people are gonna die while we wait?" Harry asked.

"Guys, which is it?" Joe asked as Thea got an idea.

"I think we can do both actually." Thea said.

"What do you mean?" Cisco asked.

"Barry isn't the only speedster in the room and while I may not be as fast as him, I should be fast enough to do the running around the city while he handles Black Siren." Thea said.

"She's right." Cisco said with a grin.

"You got her suit ready?" Barry asked.

"Thought you'd never ask. Get out there and deal with Black Siren while we worry about the field." Cisco said and Barry nodded as he sped out.

"So where's my suit?" Thea asked as she followed Cisco back to the cortex where he revealed another mannequin, which after he pulled the tarp off, revealed a mostly red suit, though there were streaks of yellow bolts at the waste and on the arms, along with a yellow lightning themed design at the chest and a red mask.

"This looks awesome." Thea said.

"Ready suit up Speedy?" Cisco asked.

"Like you wouldn't believe Vibe." Thea said with a grin as lightning crackled in her eyes and she sped out, taking the suit with her.

* * *

 **Arrow**

"So, why exactly did you force me to come down here?" Felicity asked, peeved at her ex.

"Because I figured you could put your whole being mad and distant at me thing on hold until after we've stopped nuclear apocalypse." Oliver said, shutting her up.

"You figured right, but can someone bring me up to speed?" Felicity asked as she took her old seat at the computers.

"Darhk stole Rubicon from Lyla, which apparently means that he can now launch any nuke in the world." Oliver said as Lyla entered the Bunker.

"I just got off the phone with the DOD and it's not good news." Lyla said.

"How bad are we talking?" Laurel asked.

"Russia, Markovia, Corto Maltese, us, every NATO Ally- Rubicon has control over all their nuclear systems." Lyla said.

"You mean HIVE does." John corrected.

"I know it's a little late for this, but whoever created an algorithm that could override any country's nuclear weapons really screwed up." Felicity said.

"That would be Amanda Waller." Lyla said.

"How much time do we have?" Oliver asked.

"We? Oliver, I'm the director of Argus, and this goes way over my head. This is executive level, and this is Department of Defense." Lyla told him.

"Roughly 21 hours. That's how long the countdown sequence is before Darhk can actually launch a nuke." Lyla said.

"Which means we have 21 hours to stop Rubicon before the world ends." Laurel said.

"You're gonna have to find a way to interrupt that sequence." Oliver told Felicity.

"Rubicon is a failsafe against nuclear Armageddon. Argus designed it to be 100% unhackable." Lyla protested.

"No. She can do it. She's the best." Oliver said confidently.

"Well, actually, that would be my father as far as Rubicon is concerned. It uses Fourier protocols. Noah practically wrote the book on them. The world is facing nuclear Armageddon. My pride and my general dislike for my father can take a backseat for the next 20-plus hours." Felicity said.

"Felicity, this isn't about pride. Your father's a criminal. He can't be trusted." John said.

"I'm not saying we should trust him. I'm saying we need to." Felicity said.

"Ok. He got out in Darhk's jailbreak. How do we find him?" Laurel asked.

"I'm already running a search." Felicity said.

"You certainly got back into this routine rather quickly." Oliver said.

"Don't get any ideas Oliver. I'm only doing this to save the world. Once Darhk is dealt with, I'm done. For good this time." Felicity said and Oliver nodded in agreement.

"That's fine with me. So long as we can actually live long enough to get there." Oliver said.


	8. Chapter 8

**Flash**

Barry and Henry had just entered the West House to find a celebration in order.

"What's going on here?" Barry asked.

"Blame Iris." Cisco said.

"Well, I just figured that since Henry was back for good this time that we should celebrate, especially since this is Thea's last night in town." Iris said.

"Wait, you're leaving?" Barry asked.

"I have my own stuff waiting for me back in Star City. But I am eager to make tonight count." Thea said.

"Well thank you Iris." Henry said as they entered the room and Barry smiled as he watched his dad interact with Dr. Mcgee.

"Hi, Tina." Henry said.

"Hello, Henry." Tina said as he sat down next to her.

"I hope you don't mind that I invited Dr. McGee." Iris said to Barry from where he was watching his dad.

"Seems like somebody's glad you did." Barry said, honestly happy that his dad was moving forward.

"Mm-hmm. So I guess you are invincible." Iris said.

"- Told you. The Speed Force is with us," Barry chuckle before continuing, " Since I'm feeling extra invincible lately, what do you say you and I give this a shot?"

"Yeah, I would like that." Iris agreed.

"So is it true? You saved The Flash's life?" Thea asked Wally.

"Oh, I mean, I was just in the right place at the right time." Wally said modestly, both he and Thea unaware of the jealous look Jesse was giving them.

"Proud of you, Wally. You did good." Joe said.

"Thanks, dad." Wally said before noticing the look on Thea's face.

"What?" Wally asked her.

"I'm just I'm proud of you too." Thea said.

"- Soup's on." Joe called, getting all their attention.

"- Hey! Taking out a city full of monsters makes a man hungry." Cisco said.

"First, a toast." Joe said.

"To family." he said.

"To family." everyone else said at once.

"That's my kind of toast, short and sweet. Let's eat." Cisco said as suddenly he stopped and vibed.

"Cisco? What What is it? What'd you see?" Barry asked.

"What do you mean "see"?" Wally asked.

"Cisco gets visions." Caitlin said.

"I don't understand." Cisco said.

"What Cisco?" Thea asked.

"Earth-2 splitting in half. Straight down to the poles. Tell me I didn't just vibe the future. Please tell me I didn't just see the end of the world!" Cisco said as suddenly Zoom sped in and held Henry in a choke hold.

"Our story continues, Flash." Zoom said as he sped off with Henry, both Barry and Thea speeding off after him in close pursuit, leaving Wally shocked at both Barry and Thea were speedsters.

* * *

Barry followed Zoom back to his old house where he found Zoom standing in the same place that Thawne that driven a knife through Barry's mother's heart.

"Dad? Dad?" Barry asked.

"It's poetic, returning to your childhood home." Jay said, as he removed his mask.

"Jay. Don't do this. I'm begging you. I'm begging you! Take me. - Kill me!" Barry begged him.

"- No! You still won't believe me that you and I are the same." Jay said.

"- Come on." Barry begged.

"- Barry, look at me, son." Henry said.

"So I'm gonna have to make you believe me." Jay said darkly as he prepared to kill Henry.

"Whatever happens you have made me - the happiest father." Henry said.

"- Dad." Barry said.

"This time, you're gonna watch your parent die just like I did." Jay said, but before he could do it, there was another flash of yellow lightning and suddenly, to Barry's immense relief and Jay's anger, Henry was gone as Thea sped in next to him.

"Not this time." Thea spat at him.

"Where's my dad?" Barry asked.

"Some place safe." Thea assured him and Barry sighed in relief.

"Too slow Zoom." he said with a grin.

"There's still plenty more to take from you Barry. After all. Henry isn't your only father." Jay said with a sick grin and Barry felt his anger return as he sped up to Zoom and pushed him against the wall.

* * *

 **Arrow**

After saving Quentin and all the others from the Ark, besides Darhk's wife, Team Arrow returned to find Damien Darhk was standing in Felicity's loft, preparing to drain the life out of Donna when suddenly the Green Arrow swung in through the window.

"I know you don't live here anymore, but those were nice windows." Darhk said as Green Arrow fired an arrow at him as Spartan entered the room.

"So unoriginal." Darhk said when the arrow froze in midair and exploded.

"I am now powered by the deaths of tens of thousands of souls. There is nothing you can do to stop me Or should I say, "us."" Darhk said as Ghosts barged in. The team engaged the Ghosts trying to protect Donna and Felicity from them and Darhk, until Darhk was about to use his magic to drain the life from Green Arrow when suddenly Black Canary entered the room and held a knife at Nora's throat.

"Stop! You let them go, or I kill your daughter." Black Canary threatened.

"Do you think I'm bluffing?" She asked and Darhk immediately did as she said, since he'd already lost his wife, he would not lose his daughter to, at least, not until the rest of the world died with Genesis.

"Let my daughter go." Darhk said as he did what Black Canary said and she then held up her end on of the bargain and released Darhk's daughter.

"It's ok, sweetheart. Everything's going to be alright." Darhk said to his daughter before he dropped a smoke bomb, covering his all the Ghosts' escape.

"Are you ok?" Felicity asked her mother.

"When did this become your life?" Donna asked before Felicity noticed hers and Curtis's workstation.

"Oh, my God! Oh, my God, it's gone. He took it. It's gone." Felicity said, panicking.

"What's gone?" Black Canary asked.

"The laptop with the anti-Rubicon program." Felicity said and they all felt their hearts dropped.

"If Darhk has that." Spartan began.

"He can launch all of the world's nuclear missiles." Green Arrow finished, knowing that this wasn't over by a long shot.


	9. Chapter 9

**Arrow**

The team had just carried an unconscious Curtis into the bunker and set him down on the med table as Oliver and John began administering medical aid.

"Looks like internal bleeding. Possibly broken ribs. Hemothorax. We have to relieve the pressure. Laurel." John said and Laurel simply did what she was told.

"Felicity, we need you at your station. We have to stop Rubicon." Oliver said and Felicity nodded before heading over to the computers.

* * *

"How is he?" Laurel asked when Oliver joined her in front of the suits.

"Well, he's stable. John said the next 30 minutes should tell us Whether or not he'll make it? Yeah." Oliver said.

"Hey, can I ask you something? I know it might not be the best time. Back at the loft." Laurel said.

"Yeah?" Oliver asked.

"Darhk's magic, it worked on you. I thought." Laurel began.

"You thought I found a way to stop it." Oliver finished and Laurel nodded.

"That was before he grew so powerful. It was the- the hope you had in me was able to counteract his magic." Oliver explained.

"And now my hope's not enough." Laurel said and considering her hope was shrinking by the minute, that meant that Oliver was running on nothing as he nodded.

"So where are we?" Oliver asked Felicity.

"Um, good news, bad news time. Good news is is that Darhk hasn't launched the nukes yet. I think his hacker's still trying to break our failsafes." Felicity said.

"Ok, and the bad news?" Oliver asked.

"Well, the bad news is that with Rubicon offline, there is nothing for me to hack into." Felicity said.

"Right, but your laptop has to have a GPS- - yeah. - I'm sure that you've already started to try and do it." Oliver said.

"Yeah." Felicity said as Lyla joined them in the bunker.

"I thought you'd shut Rubicon down." Lyla asked.

"Felicity is working on locating the laptop." Oliver said.

"Where's Sara?" John asked.

"She's fine. She's in an Argus bunker in Coast City." Lyla assured him.

"With Darhk's anti-nuke bunker destLaureled, why is he moving forward with Genesis?" Lyla then asked.

"Machin killed his wife." Oliver said, as if that explained everything.

"Well, his daughter still lives in this world. He must know that." Felicity said.

"He knows, he just- he doesn't care. He's lost all hope." Oliver said.

"Yeah, just like all of us." John said.

"I thought he was the cynic." Laurel said.

"John's not wrong." Oliver said.

"We are not finished yet." Laurel reminded him.

"The key word being "yet." I got a 20 on the laptop. Downtown, abandoned office building." Felicity said.

"We're on it. Let's move." Oliver said as they moved out.

* * *

"Overwatch, there's no one here." Black Canary said as they searched the building.

"That's impossible. You're right on top of the GPS signal." Overwatch said on the comms.

"She's right." Spartan said as he pulled a blinking light.

"Oh, my God." Black Canary said as she pointed out a monitor with a map of the world on it.

"Overwatch." Green Arrow said.

"I see it." Overwatch said as they watched in horror as they watched every nuke on the planet launch.

* * *

"Just over 15,000 ballistic missiles, and they all just launched." Felicity said as the team entered the bunker.

"How much time do we have?" Laurel asked.

"Two hours. Maybe less." Felicity said as Lyla entered the room while on the phone.

"Confirmed. 15,434 birds in the air. We need to set defense condition one and get the president down to the PEOC." Lyla said as she hung up.

"Felicity." Oliver began.

"He's got me completely locked out." Felicity said.

"Ok, how many missiles are there?" Thea asked.

"DOD's working on it, but the targets are worldwide." Lyla said.

"You said that we have two hours." Lyla said to Felicity.

"The world has two hours, but I'm tracking a Minuteman ICBM heading straight for Star City. It just launched out of Warren Air Force Base in Colorado." Felicity said.

"Ok, well, that's close." Laurel said.

"Which means we only have 45 minutes." Felicity said darkly.

* * *

 **Flash**

"So, where exactly is my father?" Barry asked Thea as they returned to the house.

"I took him back to his cabin in the mountains. Figured he'd be safer there." Thea said and Barry nodded.

"Thank you for that Thea. I owe you one." Barry said.

"Don't mention it. I watched my mother get killed right in front of me and I didn't want you to have to deal with that sort of pain either." Thea said.

"Barry, Thea, there you guys are. Where's Henry?" Iris asked.

"Safe. Thanks to Thea." Barry said as he hugged Iris.

"So, you guys are speedsters." Wally said, looking at Barry and Thea.

"Yeah. In case you haven't figured it out yet, I'm the Flash." Barry said.

"Wow. And Thea?" Wally asked.

"I usually work my brother's team in Star City, they call me Speedy." Thea said.

"Cool name. So, I'm guessing that means you work with the Green Arrow?" Wally asked.

"It does, and I will be happy to answer any questions you have about that later, but right now, we need to figure out what Zoom's plan is." Thea said and they all nodded in agreement at that as Barry noticed as streak of blue lightning run by.

"Zoom." Barry said as he sped after him.

"So, you managed to surprise me with a new speedster. Congrats. But this isn't over Flash. Like I said, there's always more to take." Jay said.

"You're gonna stay away from them." Barry said.

"That's completely up to you." Jay said.

"What?" Barry asked, confused.

"- When we first met, I told you that Zoom needed to be the best. You just didn't realize I was talking about myself." Jay said.

"Is that what this is about?" Barry asked.

"A race, Barry, between you and me to see who's the fastest. You win: this is over, and you get to be the hero." Jay said.

"I'm not racing you." Barry said.

"Then I'll find your father and take him from you, right in front of your eyes. And then I'll take Joe. And then maybe Iris. Think about it, Flash. All I want to know is who's the fastest man alive on either world. - I'll be waiting." Jay said as he sped away.


	10. Chapter 10

**Arrow**

"Bye, daddy. Bye, mama." John heard Sara say over the phone.

"We'll see you soon, sweetie. I love you, baby girl." John said as he hung up.

"Argus has a chopper waiting to take us to Coast City, so at least we'll all be together." Lyla said.

"If we can't stop the end of the world." John said.

"In these situations, you're usually the one offering hope." Lyla pointed out.

"I'm fresh out, Lyla." John said.

"Because of what happened with Andy? It was self-defense, John. It was a clean kill." Lyla said as Oliver walked up to her.

"Lyla. Are you having Argus move on city hall?" Oliver asked and Lyla nodded.

"John told me the source of Darhk's power is there, that he might be looking to harness the deaths from the nuclear attacks." Lyla explained.

"No, he's already done that with the first attack. He will decimate your team. You should pull them back." Oliver told her.

"And what if his hacker's down there with him?" Lyla asked.

"Cooper Seldon is not going to be anywhere that we think to look. He'll be in a secure location." Felicity said.

"If your team goes down there, they will all die." Oliver told her.

"It's not your call, Oliver. It's mine." Lyla said.

* * *

"Assault team sledgehammer has engaged target. Switching you to their feed now." A man on the radio said and all the team heard was static, gunfire and the sounds of men screaming.

"Turn it off." Oliver said.

"Those missiles hit, and he's going to become even stronger, isn't he?" Lyla asked.

"He already is with the souls of all of those Argus agents that he just killed." Oliver told her in an I-told-you-so kind of way.

"Wait. I'm in. I'm through Cooper's firewalls." Felicity said.

"Well, shut it down." Oliver said.

"That's what I'm trying to do." Felicity said when suddenly Ghosts burst in at all angles, causing the team to jump into action

* * *

After fending off the Ghost attack, Oliver and Laurel were picking up display dummies and trying to clean up the bunker while also trying to avoid thinking about the certain doom they were facing.

"How much time do we have?" Laurel asked.

"I think 27 minutes. It's kind of hard to tell now. But we can't just lose all hope here." Oliver said.

"You have. I can see it in your eyes." Laurel pointed out.

"I just can't believe that I thought that I'd be the one to unite this city while Damien Darhk was trying to kill it. That was arrogant. It was the same arrogance that made me feel like I could be the Green Arrow without descending into darkness. Bottom line, it was foolish." Oliver said.

"You don't believe that." Laurel said.

"I didn't until Nyssa died." Oliver said.

"I thought you weren't blaming yourself for her death anymore?" Laurel asked.

"I made a decision to come back here. I tried to do things differently, and for a time, I did. And now I am left here to wonder if I hadn't, would things here be different?" Oliver asked.

"You're not just talking about coming back here last year were you?" Laurel asked.

"No, I wasn't. So many people might still be alive if I'd just never come home from Lian Yu 4 years ago." Oliver said, but before he could walk away, Laurel grabbed his arm.

"No Oliver, if you hadn't had come home, even more people would be dead. You've always found a way to save the day. Because that is the type of man you are. A hero. That's why I fell in love with you all over again." Laurel said before she could stop herself.

Oliver was quiet for a minute and Laurel realized that he'd walked away to speak with Curtis, making her unsure of whether or not he'd heard what she just said.

"Curtis. You shouldn't be up." Oliver said to Curtis.

"Tell me about it. Someone's got to provide a little optimism. Doesn't seem like anyone around here is in the head-space to do it." Curtis said.

"Then you know we've lost the city." Oliver pointed out to him.

"No. I know that you're running out of time to get it back." Curtis said, causing Oliver to look at him.

"Look. Living in Star City requires a special kind of tenacity. A sane person wouldn't live here. It's a fact that Paul likes to remind me of weekly. We were this close to leaving Star City last October. After 3 terrorist attacks, we were done, but then the night before we were going to start packing, the Green Arrow popped up on our TV, and he reminded me that this city is worth saving, that my home- that my home was worth fighting for. That guy gave me inspiration. He gave me hope. And if he could give me hope then, why can't he give it to others now?" Curtis asked and Oliver slowly began to realize that Curtis was right. He was running out of time to take back his home.

* * *

 **Flash**

"You going somewhere?" Barry asked Thea as he watched her pack up.

"Home. My city and my team need me back. I can feel it." Thea said.

"I get that, but we could still use you here." Barry said.

"You're the one Zoom challenged to a race Barry. Not me. I need to go help my team." Thea said and Barry nodded in understanding as Thea picked up her back.

"What should I tell the others?" Barry asked.

"Tell them that I had to go stand with my city and I will be back as soon as things with Darhk are done so that we can resume our training." Thea said and Barry nodded.

* * *

 **Arrow**

Oliver climbed on top of an abandoned car and saw the people of Star City, his city, were running through the streets, tearing each other and the city apart.

"Hey, stop! Stop! Please." Oliver shouted trying to get their attention and eventually he did.

"I know what you're feeling right now. I'm feeling it, too, the sense of- of helplessness, of hopelessness. I don't know how we even begin to process what might happen to us right now, but there are a few things that I do know. I know that this city has been through tough times before, and we have pulled through. We survived the Undertaking. We survived the Siege. We survived the Outbreak, and somehow, someway, we will survive this. A friend of mine told me that living in Star City, it takes a special kind of tenacity, but we do live here, because this is our home. This is our home! It is our friend, our family, our lives, and we will not- we will not throw those precious gifts away by descending into chaos. We will look to each other for hope. We will cling to each other for strength, and if we do that, no matter what happens, then we can all stand here united." Oliver said and he could feel his hopelessness melt away as new hope replaced it, only to have it dampened as he saw the nuke incoming.

* * *

The team was currently watching Oliver's speech on the TV in the bunker and they also felt new hope, right as they saw the missile.

"Oh, my God. It's here." Laurel said.

"That's terrifying And also kind of great." Curtis said.

"I think you got hit on the head harder than you realize." John said.

"No, no, he's right. I can't hack this system. But if the nuke gets close enough, which it is We could use the line-of-sight attack on the missile itself and disarm it." Felicity said.

"I'm not going to pretend to understand what you just said, but if it means that you can stop the missile, than go." Laurel said and Felicity and Curtis nodded before they left.


	11. Chapter 11

"Whatever you guys just did was incredible." Oliver said as he entered the bunker and he could feel a change in the room's atmosphere.

"We only took down one nuke. We still have 15,433 to go, give or take." Felicity said.

"The code to the line-of-sight hack, can you distro it to everybody?" Felicity asked Lyla, handing her a USB drive.

"I'm on it." Lyla said, taking the drive and heading out.

"All right, that's one." Oliver said

"1 nuke in 15,000. The chances of us getting them all is- 1 in 375 million." Felicity said.

"Well, we need to find Darhk's hacker and shut down Rubicon at the source." Oliver said

"When we disarmed the nuke, we gained access to its onboard computer and cloned it's hard drive remotely. Then we ran a backtrace to determine the source of the initial launch signal. He's holed up in a warehouse on the corner of Cheswold and Crombie. Let's get after him." Felicity said as suddenly, there was a flash of lightning and Thea was standing there.

"Sounds like I got back just in time to kick some ass." Thea said and Oliver grinned.

"Yeah, okay, Thea, Laurel, go with Felicity and Curtis and back them up until they can take down Rubicon for good." Oliver said.

"Hey, what are you going to do?" Laurel asked.

"I'm going to city hall." Oliver said and they all knew what that meant.

"Oliver, you yourself said going after Darhk is a suicide mission." John pointed out.

"Well, John, I'm not going to die tonight." Oliver said.

"Well, let me go with you, back you up." John said.

"If things go bad, I need you to back the city up." Oliver said.

"Ollie, things aren't going to go bad. Your speech, it gave us all hope again." Laurel said and Oliver smiled.

"Still, better safe than sorry." Oliver said and they nodded.

* * *

After everyone else had left, John was gearing up in the bunker as Lyla approached him.

"I thought you were staying behind." She asked.

"Yeah, it doesn't mean I shouldn't be prepared." John said.

"I'm not going to ask if you're alright. I think I know the answer." Lyla said.

"Lyla, this isn't the right time for this conversation." John said.

"When the Ghosts attacked, you froze. I've never seen you do that before." Lyla said.

"Lyla, I can't talk about this." John said.

"Was it Andy? - He was a Ghost." Lyla insisted.

"- Lyla." John said.

"If the world's going to end, then let's at least go out being honest with each other." Lyla said.

"Yes, it was Andy. But not like I said and not like you think. Earlier you said it was a good kill. It wasn't, Lyla. I said it was self-defense. It wasn't. You must think I'm a monster." John said in shame, only to have Lyla place her hand on his shoulder.

"Fog of war, Johnny. You did what you had to do. It's that simple." Lyla said.

"Lyla, there's nothing simple about this." John protested.

* * *

Speedy ran through the facility they'd tracked Seldon to, taking out all the Ghosts she saw with Black Canary covering her and Felicity and Curtis as they made their way further into the facility.

"Looks like the hacker is definitely here." Felicity confirmed.

* * *

"DARHK!" Green Arrow roared as he entered the nexus chamber under city hall to see Darhk and his daughter there, just waiting for the end of world.

"What does a guy have to do to end the world in peace?" Darhk asked as he turned to face Green Arrow.

"Why is he here, Daddy?" Darhk's daughter asked.

"Oh, he came here to die, sweetheart. Clearly." Darhk said as he sent Green Arrow flying back the way he came.

"Ha ha ha! 15 minutes till the end of the world, and you want to spend them with me. I am touched." Darhk said as the fight poured out into the street.

"Even if you stop me, even if you could, those missiles are finding their targets. This is a mercy killing on a global scale. I'm sparing my daughter the pain of growing up without her mother and you the pain of having to live without your parents and everyone else that you've lost." Darhk said as he took Green Arrow into his grip, only to have something thrown at the back of his head and he turned to see the people of Star City, including survivors from his Ark, facing him.

"Let him go! Get out." A man said.

"For real?" Darhk asked.

"Get out of here. Get out!" More people began shouting.

"Get out of our town! We don't want you here! Get out of this town!" the man from the Ark shouted.

"This heartwarming display would mean a whole lot more had I not just seen you all tearing yourselves and your city apart. Aah! That is why I did this. Humanity is feckless, and I wanted to cleanse it of a millennia worth of rot it has been infected by, and I will do it!" Darhk said.

"No, you won't." Green Arrow said as he got to his feet and he could feel the hope of everyone in the city.

"Ok, just for fun, how are you going to stop me?"Darhk asked.

"Because it won't just be me who's going to stop you." Green Arrow said as fired an arrow and Darhk's magic did nothing to stop it from hitting his face, scratching it, causing Green Arrow to grin as he felt his eyes glow.

"It's not so easy without the magic, is it?" Green Arrow asked, since now it was a fair fight.

"Oh, I don't need magic. I'm a former member of the League of Assassins, or have you forgotten that?" Darhk asked.

"Remind me." Green Arrow said as the 2 clashed in battle.

* * *

"Oh, my God. Cooper." Felicity said in horror when they found Cooper.

"Hey, Felicity. How you doing?" Cooper asked.

"Who shot you?" Speedy asked.

"Guess. He's moving the bullet closer and closer to my spine. said it hurt so bad, I'd do anything to make him stop." Cooper said.

"Like blow up the planet?" Black Canary asked.

"Sorry, I'm a selfish bastard, but she knew that already." Cooper said.

"I need a moment alone with him." Felicity said.

"Felicity, I don't think right." Speedy began only to have Felicity snap "- Now.", causing them all to leave the room.

"I'm sorry, Felicity. I know I should be strong enough to pull myself away from this keyboard, but I think we both know that I'm not." Cooper said.

"You are." Felicity insisted.

"He's powerful. He's so powerful, and if I stop Rubicon, he'll know, and he'll kill me in the most painful way possible." Cooper said.

"You're better than this, Cooper. You're stronger than this. You can still do the right thing. You can still be the man that I loved." Felicity said.

"I haven't been that guy in a long time." Cooper said.

"Remember what we wanted to do 7 years ago in that cockroach-infested dorm room? Save the world. Now's your chance." Felicity insisted.

Cooper nodded and then finally pulled himself away from the computer and seconds later, screamed out in pain as he died.

* * *

Darhk had knocked Green Arrow back and knocked away both his bow and quiver before taking both the bow and one of the arrows and firing it into Green Arrow's shoulder.

"You may have taken out my magic, but I will still beat you." Darhk said, only to have the people of Star City rally around the Green Arrow..

"You brought friends. That's ok. So did I." Darhk said as Ghosts emerged onto the streets, only for one army to be met by another as the people of Star City joined Green Arrow in the fight.

* * *

What the hell happened?" Black Canary asked as they entered the room.

"Darhk." Felicity said as she and Curtis went to work.

"We have 3 minutes to take down 15,000 nukes." Curtis said.

"Why isn't this a simple matter of flicking off a switch?" Speedy asked.

"Rubicon has safeguards for their safeguards. I can't disarm a warhead." Felicity said.

"Then don't." Curtis said.

"I don't think you understand how this works." Black Canary said.

"It's not the warheads. It's just the missile. If we invert their horizons They'll explode in space." Curtis said.

* * *

As Green Arrow pulled the arrow out of his shoulder, he saw Quentin Lance hold out his hand to him, which he took and then Quentin helped him up as Spartan and Lyla joined them.

"I thought you and Donna?" Green Arrow asked.

"Don't worry, she's safe, but I had to come back to stand with my city, because this Oliver Queen guy gives a hell of a speech." Quentin said and Green Arrow smiled before turning to the others.

"You two were supposed to stay as backup." Green Arrow said.

"I already lost one brother." Spartan said.

Green Arrow smiled as he felt the tide of battle change and knew that now it was time to end this, once and for all.

"You two put down the Ghosts." Green Arrow said to Spartan and Lyla who nodded.

"You keep people safe." Green Arrow then said to Quentin, who also nodded.

"What about Darhk?" Spartan asked.

"Darhk's mine." Green Arrow said and they all nodded before engaging.

Green Arrow engaged Darhk and actually beat him to the ground before grabbing the collar of his suit jacket and hoisting him up.

"What are you going to do now, Oliver? Stop the posturing. We both know that you can't do spared the life of the man who killed your mother." Darhk reminded him.

"And you a friend of mine. You killed tens of thousands of innocent people. With Slade Wilson, I had a choice. This time, I don't." Green Arrow said as he drove the arrow into Darhk's heart, just as Darhk had done to Nyssa weeks ago, before dropping his body to the ground, dead. It was over. Damien Darhk was dead.


	12. Chapter 12

**Arrow**

After holding a funeral for Nyssa, the team congregated back in the bunker.

"It is going to take us forever to get his place cleaned up." Oliver said.

"Well, I wish you guys the best of luck." Felicity said as she moved to walk out.

"You're leaving?" Oliver asked.

"I told you Oliver, I was only coming back to stop Darhk and now that I have, I'm going back to my normal life." Felicity said.

"And about all of this?" Oliver asked.

"My lips are sealed. And who knows. Maybe one day I'll figure things out and be ready to get back in the game. But until then, I just need some space. But, if something like Genesis happens again, don't hesitate to call me." Felicity said as she walked out and Oliver nodded, thinking that maybe this had allowed him to make some kind of peace with her.

"Well, I hate to say this, but I'm leaving to." Quentin said.

"Wait, what?" Laurel asked.

"IAB reached out. My suspension is no longer a suspension, but, uh, it's funny, you know, because, you know, being a cop's all I ever wanted, but when I got that call, I didn't feel a thing. All I could think about was you and your sister Laurel. About how earlier this year, I was still grieving the death of one daughter while doing everything I could to keep the other alive. But thanks to Oliver here, I have both of you back and safe, so for that Oliver, I will always be grateful." Quentin said as he held out his hand, which Oliver shook and Laurel smiled since she could finally see her father and Oliver on the same page, before she hugged her dad and then he left.

"Happy to help. So does this mean we're finally on the same page?" he asked.

"It does. Remember when you told me that you were running for mayor to show me the type of man you really are? Well that's exactly what you did tonight. You showed me that I was wrong about you. You're not a killer. You're the hero this city needs." Quentin said as he left.

"This makes me feel like I'm piling on." Thea said.

"What?" Oliver asked.

"Oliver, I still have so much to learn about my powers. So, I'm going back to Central city so Barry can keep teaching me how to use them properly. I mean, there are still so many aspects of my powers I have yet to discover. But I promise, once I get a bit more training with them, I'll be back." Thea said and Oliver smiled as he hugged his sister.

"I get it. Tell Team Flash hello for me." Oliver said and Thea nodded as she sped out.

"I guess it's just the 3 of us then." Oliver said until he saw the look on John's face.

"You ok?" Oliver asked his best friend.

"Not really. I told Lyla the truth about Andy." John said and Oliver understood where John was going with this.

"What'd she say?" Oliver asked.

"She's a soldier. She understood. But I don't, and I don't think I ever will." John said.

"What are you going to do?" Oliver asked, though he already had an idea.

"Take some time away from this team, away from the city To figure out where I went off track and how to get back on." John said and while Oliver had hoped he'd say otherwise, he still understood.

"John, I have never done this without you. You're the one who keeps me in line." Oliver pointed out.

"Oliver, I don't know if you've been watching lately, but it's been the other way around, man." John reminded him.

"Well, just remember, if you ever need anything, I'm just a call away." Oliver said and John nodded as he held out his hand, but Oliver did one better and actually hugged John goodbye.

"You remember last year when you didn't want me to come back?" Oliver asked him.

"Yeah, that was a mistake and I'm glad you didn't listen. It was nice having you back and being able to place the burden of leadership back on your shoulders. And more importantly, it was nice to have my real brother back." John said and Oliver smiled as he watched his oldest partner walk out.

"What about you?" Oliver asked Laurel.

"You think I'm leaving to?" Laurel asked and Oliver nodded and she smiled at him.

"Not a chance Ollie. You're stuck with me as your partner." Laurel said.

"In more ways than one I think you're hoping." Oliver asked with a raised eyebrow.

"What?" Laurel asked, confused.

"I heard what you said earlier Laurel. How you fell in love with me again." Oliver said.

"Why didn't you react?" Laurel asked.

"Because I needed to focus on the task at hand. But now that I don't, I think now I can give you my answer." Oliver said as he pulled her in close with his arms, put one hand on the back of her neck and pressed his lips against hers in a kiss of passion that literally sucked the air out of her lungs, but just for a second before she started kissing him back.

However, they were interrupted when Oliver's phone rang.

""Hello." Oliver said as he answered it.

"Mr. Queen, this is Thomas Kemp. I chair the city council." the man on the other side of the call said.

"Yes, of course, councilman. What can I help you with?" Oliver asked.

"That impromptu speech you gave during the city's latest crisis got a lot of people's attention, and there's something I'd like to talk to you about." Kemp said.

* * *

"It's only an interim appointment. A proper election will be held in August, but given that you got 48% of the vote before as a write-in candidate, well, I think that's just a formality." Kemp said as he and Oliver walked through a hallway.

"I appreciate the optimism." Oliver said

"Are you sure about this? You look, well, conflicted." Kemp asked.

"Well, someone very close to me recently told me that I am But I am ready for this." Oliver assured him.

"Good. Shall we?" Kemp asked the 2 of them entered a room that was full of press, preparing to watch Oliver accept the role of mayor.

"Put your left hand on the Bible. Raise your right hand and recite the oath." Kemp said and Oliver did what he said.

"I, Oliver Queen, do solemnly swear to support the charter and laws of Star City and to faithfully and impartially perform and discharge the duties of the office of mayor according to the law and to the very best of my ability." Oliver said, still not entirely believing that this was really happening.

"Congratulations Mayor Queen." Kemp said as they shook hands.

* * *

 **Flash**

After defeating Zoom, Team Flash was having a party in celebration at Joe's house after Harry and Jesse had left with the real Jay Garrick back to their earth when Thea knocked on the door.

"Hey, you made it." Barry said with a grin as he showed her in.

"Yeah, Darhk is dead and now I'm back to finish my training." Thea said and Barry nodded.

"We will start on that tomorrow." Barry said as Thea joined the party.

"Thea." Henry said as he hugged her.

"Henry, so glad you're okay." Thea said.

"I'm okay because of you Thea. Thank you for saving my life." Henry said.

"My pleasure." Thea said as she then moved over to where Wally was sitting.

"You okay?" Thea asked.

"Yeah, just can't believe you left without saying goodbye." Wally said and Thea smiled.

"Well, I was a little rushed. But why don't I take you for a ride tomorrow to make up for it?" Thea asked with a grin and Wally smiled as Barry and Iris entered the house and it was clear that they'd just kissed and were finally a couple

* * *

 **Okay, so the rest of this story will be taking place during season 5 of arrow and season 3 of Flash.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Arrow**

After successfully rescuing members of the City Council with the help of Detective Conahan and other officers that Quentin had vouched for, along with Laurel, it restored Oliver's faith in the SCPD, leading to him now standing in front of the press, preparing to make his decision public.

"Good morning. I had intended to state my position on the anti-crime initiative during the city's tribute to those who lost their lives against Hive, but that speech was cut short. In the intervening days, I have refined my position. Now, I have been reluctant to embrace the A.C.I. Because of widespread corruption within our police department, but these 4 officers have shown me and the entire city that there are still good men and women in the SCPD. Today I am announcing the formation of the anti-crime unit. These 4 officers will report directly to me, and by working together, we will begin the process of saving our city." Oliver said to much applause and he began thinking that the ACU wasn't the only thing that he'd been wrong about.

* * *

"What are you doing down here?" Laurel asked Oliver as she entered the bunker.

"What do you mean?" Oliver asked.

"Well, considering that you probably just pulled one of the biggest and quickest turnarounds in your mayoral approval ratings in what is probably the history of this city, I thought you'd be out celebrating." Laurel said.

"Church is still out there and something tells me that he's not through with Star City by a long shot." Oliver told her.

"Still, with the ACU on your side, plus the new team, I think it's safe to say that Mr. Church will taking a new residence in Iron Heights sooner, rather than later." Laurel said.

"I see what you did there, but you act as though this new team is a done deal." Oliver said.

"Oh, that. Well, I just thought since you decided to "keep swimming" as mayor, you might do the same as Green Arrow." Laurel said.

"You might be right." Oliver said.

"My dad told me about the Russian proverb, by the way. Very poetic. Wait Did you just say I might be right? Are you ok?" Laurel asked and Oliver just smiled at her.

"I've been looking into these dossiers you compiled for me. Particularly the guy in the hockey mask I keep seeing on my missions." Oliver said.

"Oh, you mean Wilddog?" Laurel asked, causing Oliver to look at her.

"Curtis came up with the name and he's another candidate. After all, not only would he make an excellent choice for Felicity's replacement, but he wants to help out in the field. Maybe we should let him." Laurel said.

"It says here that Wilddog's real name is Rene Ramirez." Oliver said.

"So, if you're looking at resumes does that mean that?" Laurel asked.

"I'm thinking of recruiting him, yes, but before I commit, there's one more person I want to get an opinion from." Oliver said and Laurel nodded, since she knew who that was and honestly thought that it was a good idea.

* * *

Oliver was now sitting in front of a computer, video chatting with John.

"Hey, buddy. How you doing?" Oliver asked.

"Besides feeling like I've got the worst case of deja vu ever, I'm not bad. How about you? You still the mayor?" John asked with a smile.

"Yeah. They haven't voted me out yet, so." Oliver laughed.

"Yeah, well, give it a little bit of time, man. They'll come to their senses." John said and they both laughed together.

"I got your message. You all right?" John asked.

"I'm all right. I wanted to bounce something off of you and get your perspective." Oliver said.

"Ok. On?" John asked

"Laurel thinks that it's time we put together a new team." Oliver said.

"And you want to know if I think that's a good idea?" John said.

"I do." Oliver nodded.

"I think it is." John said and he could tell that Oliver was a little disappointed with his answer.

"It wasn't exactly the response you were looking for, right?" John asked with a smile.

"No," Oliver laughed, "But I'm not surprised. I need to make peace with the fact that things aren't going to go back to the way they were."

John nodded before saying "Looks like you're finally ready to start moving again Oliver. And don't worry, I won't be gone forever. When I get home after this tour and I will come home, I'll pick up where I left off."

"I'm looking forward to it John, this place just isn't the same without you." Oliver said.

"Well, I am impossible to replace. How many times have you ditched your security detail so far?" John asked.

"At least twice as many times as I ditched you and I have to say, compared to that, this is cakewalk." Oliver said and John laughed.

"I figured as much. I gotta go, but I'll talk to you soon Oliver." John said.

"See you soon John." Oliver said as he hung up and then decided to call someone else, just to be sure.

"Hey Ollie." Thea said.

"Hey Speedy, how are things going in Central City?" Oliver asked.

"As good as be expected. I've really learned a lot from Barry." Thea said.

"Great, you think you'll be ready to come home soon?" Oliver asked.

"Yeah, probably. I mean, Central City is nice, but there's no place like home. Is that what you wanted to talk about?" Thea asked.

"No actually, I wanted to get your opinion on something." Oliver said.

"Okay then?" Thea asked.

"How would you feel if I were to put together a new team?" Oliver asked.

"I think it's long past time you did that, since Star City needs as many hands on deck as possible. Especially since you and Laurel are the only ones protecting it right now." Thea said.

"I figured as much, but I needed to make sure the whole team approved, since you and John are still both members, you're just on leave." Oliver said.

"See you soon Ollie." Thea said as she hung up.

* * *

 **Flash**

"So, what was that about?" Barry asked Thea as she entered the cortex.

"Oliver was just asking for my opinion about something." Thea said.

"Thea, I've taught you everything I can right now. I need you know how to phase, throw lightning, run on water, run up walls, I'm not sure how much left I can teach you." Barry said.

"I know. I just wasn't ready to leave Central City yet. But now, I think it's time." Thea said and Barry nodded.

* * *

 **Okay, so I am already out of ideas for this story for right now, so I am putting it on hiatus and I'm actually thinking about trying a new theme inspired by Crisis on Earth X, Oliver and Kara. Hope to have a new story up soon, hope you all understand.**


End file.
